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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Yesterday, another species became extinct with the passing of Lonesome George. Lonesome George was the last Pinta Island Tortoise . He was 100 years old. In spite of efforts to take good care of him and to breed him with females very close to him genetically, the breed could not be saved so he became the last of his kind.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. ~ Woody Allen

More than 25 million dead and live seahorses are traded globally on an annual basis with around 95% of these being used in traditional medicines. Aquarium and souvenir trades make up the rest. (David Harasti 2004) Indonesians and Filipinos also use seahorses in their medicines. In 2004 all 34 species came into protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Norway have withdrawn from trade rules for seahorses and they continue to be harvested at unsustainable levels.

Medicinal claims for seahorses include "cures" for asthma, impotence, thyroid disorders, broken bones, heart disease and cancer. There is no scientific evidence to support these claims. The price for one pound of seahorses can be as much as US $550. This is a very lucrative business - until they run out of seahorses which would be a great tragedy and also would further degrade the environments in which they live.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

When I was a child, my aunt had a cigarette lighter with a seahorse inside. The seahorse was alive until the guy who thought a dead seahorse in a lighter was a good idea and plucked it out of the ocean.

The smallest seahorse is about 1/2 inch long and the largest about 8 inches long. They live mostly in tropical coastal waters but it is not known how long they live. Seahorses are monogamous and mate for life.